Arizona weekly citizen., 1887-07-30

WE puDuen elsewnere 6 lengthy and well written article from the Santa Fe New Mexican, on the recent order of Commissioner Sparks. The same order that applies to New MeIico applies to Arizona not only with equal but greater forc,, inssmuch as not only the forfeited lands of the Atlantic and Pacific but those of the old Texas Pacific lie there in. The north line of the latter grant enters Arizons in Graham county about midway between McMullens Peak aud the town of Graham, crossing the terri tory in a series of curves. IL leads due west to the north base Of the Peloncita range, thence northwest along Nstanes plateau to the northwest corner of Grs- ham county on the White Mountain res ervstion. passes through Gils county. crosses the Salt river between Cherry and Raccoon creeks. enters Msricopa county at the Four Peaks, takes in all but the northeast corner of the Fort McDOwell reservation, and crossed Agus Fris creek about ten miles south of Gillette. This is its highest northern point, ss from here it trends to the southwest. It enters Yuma county about l5 miles south of Centennial on the Southern base of the Hsrqus HRla range ana strikes the Colorado some 25 miles south of Ehrenberg. The southern line enters the territory near Hume Spring in Cochise county, leaves old Camp Fucker Co the south, crosses the Chiricshua mountains and curves through the DrsRoons about 10 miles south of the summit, crosses the $. P.
 R. R. about 10 miles east of Benson, enters Pima county near Mountain
 Springs, cuts of the northeast corner of
 Fort Lowell reservation, again crosses
 the Southern Pacific about % miles
 north of Tucson. Here it curves north
 till 1t almost reaches the Pinsl county
 line about 40 or 45 miles south of Casa
 Grsnde, thence south to the Pspago
 town Of Santa Rosa, thence curving
 north to the old Alo copper
 mines it enters Yuma county about
 twenty. five miles north of the Mexican
 line. At this point it turns almost south
 and enters Mexico about thirty miles
 west of the Pima county line. This i'm
 msnse stretch of country embraces about
 two-thirds of Graham county, one-hslf of Cochise. over One-third of Gila, three
 fourtbs of nsricops, all of Pinsl, one
 fifth of Pima and about three ftths of
 Yuma. And on this by the Grace of
 God and fool commissioner. the price
 of desert land. already high. has been
 doubled to s250 per acre. These lands
 being chased as double minimum" lands. g. 50 per acre being the price
 fixed by the government for each alter
 nate section of railroad grant land, but
 as Congress declared all lands originally
 embraced within the grant of the Texss
 and Pacific forfeited by the grantees.
 they naturally reverted to the govern
 ment and became portion of the pub
 lie domain, subject to the same jaws and
 conditions governing them prior to the issuance of said grant. Since the revoks-
 tion of this gr..nt there has been at least
 10000 acres taken up under the desert land law, upon which but sl ? per acre has been or must be paid, Nov ss said circular expressly states that Sparks last ruling IS rot retroactive ws natural ly enquire, has the government, through the ignorance of its commissioner, been swindled out of the difference? If so, action should be commenced against Sparks and he. individually. should be to make it good. But as there WAS DO law for lt before We do not | think that he can make one now. Des- srt lands are practically of no value ,tn, the government, nor to anyone elsa tn !; , ing the expenditure of & yRst,f G. pend | money for reclamation. and s-amount ot | tempt to impose snnaur.:u then to at of Sl.25 is sn out to additional burden | must be loolb, -i:.rage. but these things general Juld, ,aed for SO long as d. I. on hot, bG' principles remains commissioner of the land office.